Container feeding mechanism for capping machines



, E. M. FORE 2,552,950

CONTAINER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAPPING MACHINES May 15, 1951 Filed July 27, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

)4 I: I9 6 Inventor I I Edward M. Fore 1,. A ttorneys E. M. FORE 2,552,950

CONTAINER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAPPING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 15, 1951 Filed July 27, 1948 Fig.2.

36 34 34 I A I 33 In 9 I 75 4av 57 I 53 53 54 58 I 27, I. 6 I Inventor 2/ I Edward M. Fare 68 u Ill 11 ttorueys May 15, 1951 E. M. FORE 2,552,950

CONTAINER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAPPING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 48 Fig. 4.

47 I l 5 3/ I 5 l I 5 E11 O 53 4 f i Fig. 6

Edward M. Fore INVENTOR.

May 15, 1951 E. M. FORE 2,552,950

CONTAINER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAPPING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1948 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 fidwam' M. Fore 1N VEN TOR.

/ Attorney;

y 5, 1951 E. M. FORE 2,552,950

CONTAINER FEEDING MECHAHI SM FOR CAPPING MACHINES Filed July 27, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig. 7.

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G a 7 a2 80 l8! 0 I I 75 l I g I l Edward M. Fare INVENTOR.

May 15, 1951 E. M. FORE 2,552,950

CONTAINER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAPPING MACHINES Filed July 2'7, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 H Fig. 8. I I um 32 7 5.!!! I h 9 I 3 1 1' I 9 l min W 49 7m :60 ll 59' W M i y Fig. 9

Edward M. Fore IN V EN TOR.

Patented May 15, 1951 CGNTAINER FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CAPPING MACHINES Edward M. Fore, Zolfo Springs, Fla., as'signor of fifty per cent to Joseph A. Mancini, Wauchula,

Fla.

Application July 2'7, 1948, Serial No. 40,834

6 Claims.

This invention relates to container capping machines of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,841,051 granted January 12, 1932, to Abraham Podel, and has more particular reference to a container feeding mechanism for machines of that type.

An object of the invention is to provide a feeding mechanism whereby the containers may be placed underneath the capping head and on the container support which presents the container to the capping head, which feeding mechanism is so timed as to place the container in and remove the same from capping position while the container support is lowered.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feeding mechanism which may be readily applied to existing capping machines, and which is comparatively simple in construction and highly efficient in operation.

The exact nature of the present invention, as well as other objects and features thereof, will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a container capping machine equipped with a container feeder mechanism embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof, partly broken away;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 with other parts in section and parts removed;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top pla view of the container carrier and the conveyor forming part of the feeding mechanism;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 66 of-Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 1-4 of Figure 4, with the containers part raised;

Figure 8 is a front elevational view, partly Figure 10 is a horizontal section taken on line 18-! of Figure 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the present container feeding mechanism is shown aprplied to a capping machine including a column having a base 5 provided with a rear framework 1 for supporting driving mechanism The driving mechanism includesa gear B-secur'ed. on a head 32.

2 shaft Q which is g'ou-rnaled in a bearing 10 of framework 7. Shaft 9 drives a further shaft ll through gears I2 and 13, said shaft I! being jour-- naled in a further bearing 14 of framework i. A motor 15 is mounted on framework 1 and has a power shaft provided with a pinion 16 which meshes with gear 8. The gear i3 is connected to the shaft 5 1 through a clutch I! which, whenin the position shown in Figure 3, prevents the gear l3 from being effective upon the shaft H. A lever I 8 is pivoted at one end and operatively connected to the clutch member to pull it downwardly out of position to effect the capping operation when said lever I8 is pressed downwardly in opposition to a spring [9 (Figure 1'). Ordinarily, the capping machine is provided with a treadle in placeof the lever 18. However, such treadle is replaced by the lever I8 and the latter is secured upon a shaft 20 journaled in the base 6 and having a projecting end upon which a further lever 21 is secured. The spring 19 is connected to lover 29, and said lever 2| is operatively associated with the present container feeding mechanism in a manner which will later become apparent. It will be understood that the clutch I? is in effective position to connect the driving mechanism with the shaft H only when the lever 18 is depressed. In order to prevent the machine from running under its own momentum, a brake band 22 is secured about a collar 23 on the shaft II, and is held in position by members 2 1. A table mechanism is provided for supporting and raising the containers, which mechanism comprises a rod 25 mounted in bearings 26, with its lower end threaded into a sleeve 27 which has a cam roller 28 attached thereto in engagement with a suitable groove 29 ina cam 39 to positively move a jar support 3| both upwardly and downwardly. The support 3| is adapted to pass through a suitable opening in a stationary table 32, and its upper surface is flush with the table when in lowered position. It will be understood that when the lever 18 is operated, the cam 30 raises the support 31 and the container thereon so that said container is presented to a sealing This sealing head is shown as of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,154,409 issued April 11, 1939, to Abraham Podel. The capping or sealing head 32 comprises an upper die against which the closure cap on the container is pressed when the container is raised to capping or scal ing position and a lower die formed with seg' mental jaws. The segmental jaws of the lower die are attached to the lower ends of vertical rods 34 which are connected by members 35 to a pin 36. A lever 31, pivoted by means of a pin 38, is adapted to raise and lower the rods 34 to operate the segmental jaws of the lower die as clearly disclosed in the last mentioned patent. The mechanism for operating the segmental jaws comprises a rod 39 extending through the column with a cam roller 40 at the lower end thereof riding upon a cam 4|. The cam roller 40 is held resiliently against the cam by a spring 42 which raises and closes the lower die by pressing downwardly the rod 39 when the dwell in the cam reaches the cam roller 4|]. As the jaws move upwardly, they are pressed inwardly in opposition to springs to engage the bead in the skirt of a closure cap and to press said closure cap against the upper die to force the closure cap gasket against the container in a manner well known in the art and clearly set forth in the prior patents referred to above.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means for feeding containers 43, one at a time, beneath the capping or sealing head 33 and on the support 3| so that said container will be presented to the capping head 33 for being capped when the support 3| is raised, and for subsequently removing the capped container from the support 3|. This feeding means includes a guiding flange 44 provided on the table 32 partially surrounding a rotatable container carrier 45 by means of which the containers are slid on the table 32 to capping position upon the support 3|. The carrier 45 is mounted to turn about a vertical axis defined by shaft 46, and it is formed with a plurality of segmental pockets 41 which are adapted to receive the containers and to move the same along the table 32. The carrier 45 overlies the upper run of the endless belt 48 of a suitably driven conveyor, which upper run of belt 48 travels in a recess of table 32 directly in front of the container support 3 I. Carrier 45 has a hub 49 formed with ratchet teeth 50 which correspond in numbe and position to the pockets 41. Journaled on shaft 46 above the hub 49 is a plate 5| that carries a spring pressed pawl 52 yieldingly engaged with the portion of hub 49 provided with teeth 50. An operating rod 53 is pivoted at its rear end to the plate 5|, and the arrangement is such that when the rod 52 is moved rearwardly pawl 52 engages a tooth 50 so as to partially rotate carrier 45 for moving a container from conveyor belt 48 onto the container support 3|, whereupon the support 3| may be raised to present the container to the capping head 33 as shown in Figure '7. The rod 52 is then moved forwardly so as to reset the pawl 52 relative to the next tooth 50, whereby a succeeding container may be transferred from conveyor belt 48 to container support 3| when the latteris lowered, and whereby the previously capped container may be transferred from said container support 3| back to the conveyor belt 48 at the opposite side of carrier 45. Belt 48 may then remove the capped container from the carrier 45 when traveling in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 4.

Attached to the under side of table 32 are spaced brackets 53 on which is journaled a rock shaft 54. Secured on rock shaft 54 is an upwardly projecting lever 55 to which the forward end of rod 52 is pivoted as at 56. Another lever 51 is secured on rock shaft 54 and projects rearwardly from the latter through a vertical slotted plate 58 carried by a collar 59 mounted'on rod 25 for movement with the latter. The arrangement is such that when rod 25 is raisedto elevate the 4 container and present it to the capping head 33, lever 51 is swung upwardly so as to move lever 55 forwardly and to thereby set pawl 52' for the next actuation of carrier 45 through the medium of rod 52 and plate 5| and by engagement with a teeth 50. Due to the slot in plate 58, the rod 25 may return to lowered position without moving lever 51 so as to leave the pawl 52 in set position. When lever 55 is swung forwardly, it is automatically engaged by a spring pressed catch 59 to hold the pawl 52' in set position. The catch 59 is pivoted at 60 upon a bracket 6| carried by table 32,'and spring 62 swings catch 59' into engagement with lever 55. An end of catch 59 projects across the upper run of belt 48 in position to be engaged by containers moved into a pocket 41 of carrier 45. Thus, as a container is moved vice which turns the carrier 45.

ment is such that when lever 55 is swung forinto a pocket 41 of carrier 45 by belt 48, said container trips catch 59 so as to release lever 55 and permit actuation of rod 52 so that pawl 52' will partially rotate carrier 45 and transfer this container to the support 3|. In order to automatically effect this operation as soon as lever 55 is released, a weight 63 is provided on lever 51.

Another lever 64 is secured on an end of shaft 54 and projects rearwardly from the latter over lever 2|. Lever 64 has a bracket 65 fixed thereto, and the upper end of a rod 66 extends through an aperture of this bracket 65. Bracket 65 is engaged at its under side by an abutment 61 secured on the upper end portion of rod 66, and the lower end of said rod 66 is pivoted at 68 to lever 2| An adjustable weight 69 may be provided on lever 64 to assist weight 63 in actuating the ratchet de- The arrangecapping head 33, and to also operate cam 4| so.

that the capping head is actuated to apply a closure cap to the elevated container. When the container is elevated, the ratchet device will of course be returned again to set position by actuation of lever 51. 7

In order to prevent rapid movement of parts in the actuation of carrier 45, movement of lever 64 may be controlled by a dash pot 10 which is connected to lever 64 and insures gradual downward movement of said lever 64 under the influence of weights 63 and 69. r

Means is provided to prevent retrograde movement of carrier 45 when the ratchet device is.

moved to set position. For this purpose, a disk 1| is secured to the under side of carrier 45 and mounted to turn on shaft 46 with said carrier, i

said disk 1| being provided with peripheral notches 12 corresponding in number and position to the pockets 41 of said carrier. A pivoted dog 13 is arranged to engage in a notch 12 of disk 1| after each time the carrier is turnedf whereby said carrier will be held against retrograde movement when the ratchet device is subsequently moved to set position. The dog 13 has a downwardly and rearwardly curved arm 14 that extends through a slot in a vertical slotted mem- I A spring 16 is connected to arm 14 for yieldingly swinging dog 13 to locking position. The arrangement is such 1 her 15 fixed to the collar 59.

tresse that" when rod is' lowered, member 15- will 45 is held against retrograde rotation as lever 55 is swung forwardly to reset the ratchet device.

Means is also provided to arrest rotation of carrier 45 when the container moved thereby is registered with the support 3| and the capping head 33. This means includes a further do 11 arranged to engage a notch 12 of disk H at the front of the latter as soon as a pocket 4'] of carrier 45 is exactly aligned. with; the support 3|. Dog 11 has a depending arm 18 to which is connected a spring 19 by means of which said dog 11 is moved to locking position. The arm 18 of dog 1'! is operatively connected to lever 55 by means of a link 8|], and this link has a lost motion connection with lever 55 through the medium of a slot 8| of link 80 and a pin 82 of lever 55- engaged in said slot. The arrangement is such that when lever 55 is swung forwardly to reset the ratchet device, dog 11 is disengaged from disk 1|. Also, when lever 55' is released so to be swung rearwardly by the weights 63 and 69, spring 19 is allowed to act upon arm 18 so that dog I! will automatically engage disk 1| as soon as the container moved by carrier 45 is registered with the support 3|.

In explaining the operation of the present invention, it may be assumed that lever 55 is in its forwardly swung position with the ratchet device set for operation, catch 59' being engaged with said lever 55 as shown in the several views except Figure 5. It may also be assumed that the conveyor belt 48 has been placed in operation so that the upper run thereof travels from right to left as viewed in Figure 2, and that motor l5 has also been placed in operation. The containers to be capped are suitably deposited on conveyor belt 48, and as soon as a container enters a pocket 4'! of carrier 45 at the left of the latter as viewed in Figure 2, it releases catch 59 from lever 55, whereupon weights 63 and 69 act on levers 51 and 64 to swing lever 55 rearwardly. Lever 55 actuates rod 52 so as to turn the carrier 45 through the medium of the ratchet device 50, 5| and 52', thereby transferring the container in question from belt 48 onto support 3| while the latter is in a lowered position flush with the top of table 32. Thedownward movement of lever 64 causes depression of levers 2| and I8 so as to operate clutch I! and thereby connect gear |3 with shaft place, the cams 3| and 4| are driven, the cam causing elevation of rod 25 and support 3| so as to elevate and thereby present the container to the capping head 33 as shown in Figure 7. Cam 4| then actuates the capping head 33' so as to apply the closure cap to the elevated container. Cam 3!] then lowers rod 25 and support 3| again so as to lower the capped container. During the upward movement of rod 25 and support 3|, lever 5'! is actuated through its connection with rod 25 and against the action of weights 63 and 59 to reset the ratchet device. At the same time, spring i9 is allowed to elevate levers 2| and 8 so as to release clutch l1 and thereby disconnect gear |3 from shaft II. This renders the cams 3|] and 4| inoperative, and the When this takes 6" succeeding container or next pocket 41 of carrier 45 so as to release catch 59" and bring about the same cycle of operation again. When this happens, the capped container is moved by carrier 45 from support 3| onto belt 48 at the left hand side of the carrier as viewed in Figure 2, whereupon said belt 48 removes the capped container from the carrier and delivers" it to the desired point of discharge. During this movement of the capped container from the support 3| onto belt 48, the succeeding container which has entered the pocket at the right of carrier' 45 is transferred from belt 48 onto the support 3| in position to be elevated and capped. Of course, dog 13 will hold carrier 45 against retrograde movement when the ratchet device is being set, and dog will enter a notch 12 of disk H to arrest turning of carrier 45 as soon as the succeeding container is moved onto sup-' port 3| in registration with the capping head 33. Obviously, the operation thus described will continue as long as the belt 48 is driven and containers are deposited thereon while the motor I5 is in operation.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an automatic feeding device for container capping machines, said feeding means eliminatin the slow and laborious manual operation of placing containers in position to be capped, actuating clutchv I? to effect the capping operations, and removing the capped containers from the support 3|. The mechanism is comparatively simple in construction and has been found extremely efiici'ent in practical operation. While I have shown and desribed the preferred construction of the feeding mechanism, it will be understood that the same is susceptible of modifications and changes in details of construction such as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. A container capping machine including in combination, a capping head, a vertically reciprocable container support movable upwardly to a raised position to present the container to the capping head and movable downwardly to a lowered position to receive a container to be capped and to have a previously capped container removed therefrom, means to operate the capping head when the support is in raised position, a rotatable carrier operable to successively invention, what is move containers to be capped onto the support and previously capped containers from the support when the latter is in lowered position, a conveyor to deliver containers to be capped to the carrier and to remove capped containers from the carrier, a ratchet device for intermittently operating the carrier, loss motion means operatively connecting the support to the ratchet device to set the latter in operating position when the support is raised and to leave it in such position when the support is lowered, means to automatically latch the ratchet device in set position including a catch releasable by containers as they are delivered to the carrier by said conveyor, and means to automatically operate the ratchet device upon release of the catch.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, in combination with locking means to automatically lock the carrier against rotation when the support is raised to set the ratchet device, and means to release said locking means when the support is lowered after setting the ratchet device.

3. The construction defined in claim 1, in combelt 48 then enters the" bination with spring actuated locking --means to arrest rotation of the carrier when the container moved thereby is registered with the support and the capping head, and a loss motion connection between said locking means and said setting means for the ratchet device to release said locking means when said ratchet device is moved to set position.

4. A container capping machine including in combination, a capping head, a vertically reciprocable container support movable upwardly to a raised position to present a container to'the capping head and movable downwardly to a lowered position to receive a container to be capped and to have a previously capped container removed therefrom, a driven shaft, means operated by said shaft to reciprocate said support, means operated by said shaft to operate the capping head when the support is in raised position, a rotatable carrier operable to successively move containers to be capped onto the support and previously capped containers from the support when the latter is in lowered position, a conveyor to deliver containers to be capped and to remove capped containers from the carrier, a ratchet device for intermittently operating the carrier, 2. loss motion means operatively connecting the support to the ratchet device to set the latter in operating position when the support is raised and to leave it in such position when the support is lowered, means to automatically latch the ratchet device in set position including a catch releasable by containers as they are delivered to the carrier by said conveyor, and weight operative means to automatically operate the ratchet device upon release of the catch.

5. The construction defined in claim 4, in combination with power operated drivin means, a clutch operable to connect said driving means to and disconnect the same from said shaft, and means operatively connecting said clutch to the operating means for the ratchet device, whereby-- the driving means is disconnected from said shaft when said support is lowered and whereby the same is connected to said shaft when the support is raised. 7

6. A container capping machine including in combination, a capping head, a vertically reciprocable container support movable between predetermined raised and lowered positions, means to operate the capping head when said support is in raised position, a rotatable carrier, a conveyor for successively delivering uncapped containers to and removing capped containers from said carrier, a ratchet device operable for inter mittently partially rotating the carrier to successively move uncapped containers from said conveyor onto said support and capped contain: ers from said support onto said conveyor when the support is in lowered position, a loss motion connection between said support and saidratchet device whereby the latter is set to operate the carrier when the support is raised and may remain in set position when the support is lowered, a catch to automatically latch the ratchet device in set position, said catch pr0- jecting into thepath of and being releasable from the ratchet device by successive containers as they are moved to the carrier by the conveyor, and yieldable means to operate the ratchet device upon release of the catch.

EDWARD M. FORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the V file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name i Date 1,993,650 Darling et a1. Mar. 5, 1935 2,392,054 McKinnis Jan. 1, 1946 

